


Keep Swimming

by Duchesse



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Aquaphobia, Crush, F/M, Fluff, Gender Neutral, Interspecies Romance, M/M, Reader Insert, Romance, Self Insert, Supernatural romance, reader interactive, squish, swimming lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 23:05:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12286107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duchesse/pseuds/Duchesse
Summary: After a failed swimming lesson, Prince Sidon makes a confession on the way back to shore. You wondered just how embarrassing he could be.[Prince Sidon/Reader].





	Keep Swimming

“You are making this considerably more difficult than it needs to be…”

“ _I’m going to die_.”

“My friend, please…”

“Let me out, Sidon!”

“At this rate you’ll never learn.”

“Sidon!”

Stifling a weary sigh, Sidon bounced from the wooden dock and submerged beneath the water’s surface without so much as a splash. The color bled from your knuckles as you gripped the edge, frantically propelling your legs underwater, conjuring the image of colossal beasts with jagged teeth waiting patiently in the dark depths.

You could have pissed yourself then and there. A quivering whimper slithered from your lips upon a glance at where Sidon had dove. The water had settled, yet still seemed to breathe as a creature, the only traceable noise was that of the water sloshing gently against the sturdy foundation of the dock.

It was in that moment that you realized you were completely alone.

Venturing bravely, you peered across your shoulder at the lake, scanning quickly for the flamboyant prince yet were met only by the endless expanse eerily calm water. This was a scene straight from your nightmares, of every horror story the elders in your village had spoken of taking the water for granted.

Panic ensnared you, your heartbeat drummed deafeningly in your ears as you frantically grasped at the dock, fingers sprawled as you clawed for anything to grab. A rope, a loose board, a nail for goddess’ sake!

You found nothing.

“Sidon!” you shrieked, thrusting your chest into the dock, reaching as far inward as you could before a wave stole you away, your fingers left grasping at the air. When the realization came that you weren’t alone, arms wound your body like an embrace before being sucked into the depths to your death, you screamed.

Crows scattered from nearby pines, foxes scampered away with their tails tucked as your shrieks reverberated through the forest and carried away into the distance. You thrashed against the limbs that bound you, scooping water back at your assailant, tiring your legs as you attempted to kick back.

“Friend! My friend, plea–Darling! Calm down!”

Your flails ceased and your shrieked dwindled to haggard breaths as you noticed Sidon’s owlish gaze. For the first time since he had managed to weasel you into this “swimming lesson”, your ears and cheeks burned. So much for keeping a professional image with him.

“H-How could you?!” you snapped, facing him to swipe water at his face with both arms. “I could have died! I could ha-have drowned! W-Why would you do that?!”

Sidon balked, clamping his lips tightly as he shrunk against your fierce onslaught of waves. Though it was only water, combined with the lethal weight of your words and hurt in your voice, they pierced him like shards of glass.

“Forgive me, my dear. I… hadn’t expected you would react in such a way,” he said hurriedly, drawing you against his chest to thwart your anger. “I wouldn’t have let you drown, or come close to it, either. I was right here.”

“How was I supposed to know that? It’s not like… like I saw you.” You argued, letting your hands first come to rest upon his shoulders, then travel inward towards his neck where you secured your arms around them. “I hate your guts right now.”

“Wh-What?! Ah, no, my friend, please don’t say such things!” Sidon seized against you, hands pushing you against him firmly as thought fearful you would slip away like the water. “I swear, from here on out, we’ll move more at a patient pace. My methods obviously do not favor Hylians…”

“Whatever.” You sniffed, pressing your face against his long neck and swiped away some hair in your face. “I want to go back to the domain now.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Sidon relented, though he paused as he dropped his arms below the surface. “Perhaps, we could take our time. We’ll exit the lake at the southern end, you can stay like this.”

“Sidon…” you warned, clenching his neck tigher to rouse a grunt from him.

Still, he persisted. “Grant me this, and the next time will be entirely on your terms.”

Ideally, you wanted to be out of the water and in a fluffy towel about an hour ago, but you were essentially a prisoner to his demands at the moment. Whether or not you made it back to shore at this point was entirely up to him, though it was ridiculous to assume he would do anything cantankerous.

“Fine,” you replied, giving a dispirited sigh as you let your weight melt against him. “Do you want me to get on your back again, or–”

“No, this is fine,” he assured quickly, giving a gentle laugh when you gasped as he paddled backwards. “It will take some time to get back, but this way, you’ll get used to the water a little more.”

You deadpanned, “Sidon, that’s never going to happen. And, in theory, I could get used to the water any other way as well.”

His jutted his lips and gazed skyward as though considering what you had said, only to offer you a toothy grin instead. “I suppose so, yes. But, I much prefer it this way. We don’t often get time to bond.”

You buried your face into his clavicle as he gave a powerful thrust back, gliding you both along comfortably. It astounded you just how easily he had managed to make your fear subside, how quickly he had garnered your trust. Yet all the same, it wasn’t. Everyone was aware that the prince harbored feelings for you, ones that he showed no qualms in revealing to the world.

He was far more courageous than you could ever hope to be. After all, look at the miserable state you were in. You were at an age where Hylian’s should had been swimming for years, an age where you should had been with a family, or at the very least successful in your life pursuits.

And yet, here you were, a lowly messenger for the royal family.

You could not possibly be enough for someone such as him.

“Tell me, what is Lyrilo town like? I’ve heard stories of it being referred to as the ‘Forest of Stone’,” Sidon’s voice came unexpectedly close, his warm breath caressed the shell of your ear. “I’ve heard that your town is quite the trading post.”

“Why are you so curious?” you rebuffed, shakily pushing your body away from him to fix him with a pointed stare. “I have nothing I can offer you. I don’t even know why you’re wasting your time trying to teach me to swim. You’re  _royalty_.”

Sidon tilted his head, blinking a number of times as though you had asked something in a foreign tongue. He brought you both to an abrupt halt in the water, righting his posture to where he once again seemed to tower above you.

“I’m fond of you,” he answered earnestly, words slipping off his tongue so effortlessly as though practiced. “I wish nothing more than to see you everyday. I wish to know if you feel the same.”

“W-who talks like that?!” you tittered, flinging yourself against him once more, burying your face in the crook of his neck. “You’re… really emba–I wouldn’t agree to any of this if…”

Sidon’s buoyant laughter echoed around you, making you trail off and hold him tighter as he pressed a palm against your back, pushing against the flow of the water towards land.

“As splendid as it is to hear you say that, I’d like to hear it when I have you safely back on shore,” he gave you a reassuring pat. “Can you hold it until then?”

At that point, you considered the water more welcoming than the approaching shoreline.


End file.
